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The quest for five stars will kick off this summer. And the question remains the same: will the USWNT repeat as World Cup Champions? Heading into the last two friendlies against Ireland, there have been plenty of doubters about how far this team can go. In the aftermath of those two friendlies, the number of doubters surely went up. <\/span><\/p>\n Mallory Swanson went down with a serious injury<\/a> that has taken her out of playing in the World Cup. As a result, a key starter in the team\u2019s offense will no longer be available, which is a tough adjustment for the USWNT. On the flip side, we did see Julie Ertz play for the first time since her pregnancy. This could be great news for the team\u2019s midfield. Assuming there won\u2019t be any more friendlies scheduled between now and the World Cup, here\u2019s the overall outlook heading into the World Cup for the USWNT.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The impact of losing a player like Mallory Swanson cannot be overstated. Swanson had arguably been the best player in a USWNT jersey all year. She scored seven times in the last five games before the Ireland matches. When the player scoring a majority of the team\u2019s goals is gone, who will pick up that torch and score the goals needed to fulfill the USWNT\u2019s World Cup hopes?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Naturally, the first person we\u2019re going to look to is Alex Morgan. She\u2019s still playing at a high level, as we\u2019ve seen with the San Diego Wave. That said, Morgan needs service as the lead striker to create chances. Whereas Swanson was wreaking havoc down the wing and using her speed to get in behind defenses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Alex Morgan can score bangers at any time, but it won\u2019t be because she\u2019s running past defenses with pure pace like Swanson can. Those days are behind Morgan. The key is going to come down to the two young stars who should enter the fold as a result of the injury. Those two stars would be Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson. It\u2019s pretty clear that Alex Morgan and Sophia Smith will be two of the three starters at the top of the 4-3-3 formation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Coach Andonovski brought in Alyssa Thompson to replace Swanson for the second match. She started and played the full 90 minutes. Clearly, the USWNT staff wanted as much time as possible to evaluate what they have with Thompson to possibly replace Swanson as either a starter or super sub in the World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n However, it all seems to be happening so fast for Thompson. There\u2019s a big difference between an NWSL debut and a World Cup debut. Factoring in how young Thompson is, the slightly more experienced Trinity Rodman could be the x-factor for the USWNT.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Now Rodman is also just 20, and this will also be her first World Cup. But she\u2019s already got 17 appearances under her belt at the international level. Seeing the top-flight competition will be huge for Rodman, and her ability to create and score could be the difference in a tight game when the USWNT needs a goal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Similar to the strikers, there\u2019s also been the question mark over the last midfield spot. Again, there\u2019s no question we\u2019re going to see Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle as two of the three midfielders. But who will take that last spot?<\/span><\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n The No. 6 role has been a hot topic in media and USWNT fan circles. Andi Sullivan might not be the answer. We can say that with confidence because we know the USWNT has tried converting Taylor Kornieck to that same role when she\u2019s been more of an attacking player with Orlando and San Diego.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Why would the USWNT do this unless they had full confidence in Andi Sullivan to do the job? Unless there\u2019s something behind the scenes that we don\u2019t know about.<\/span><\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n That\u2019s what makes the return of Julie Ertz so crucial for this team. It will take her time to get back to full game shape. But seeing her in that first game back, watching her flying around and putting her body on the line, shows that nothing is holding her back mentally. Some players might take some time to get the rust off from a long layoff. But her mentality was to jump right back into the deep end. If the USWNT can get Ertz to play at least 60 minutes per game, that\u2019s still far better than what they\u2019ve tried up until now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trinity Rodman, Julie Ertz, and Alyssa Thompson are the three key names to focus on for this World Cup<\/a>. If any of those three steps up in a big way at the World Cup, then there\u2019s no reason why this team can\u2019t repeat. However, if none of them is a factor at all, it could spell trouble for the USWNT in the quarterfinal stage or later. <\/span><\/p>\n Losing Mallory Swanson is a big blow. We all know that, but I\u2019m not ready to count this team out yet. We have to stand with our team through thick and thin. If the USWNT can win their fifth star, this group will go down in history because of what they overcame to do it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Featured images via @uswnt<\/a> on Instagram and Getty Images<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nRebuilding the Attack<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Refining the Midfield<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS<\/b><\/h4>\n